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Capture of Sean Ashcroft
Background Artifact smugglers operating in Liberty have been catering to the market for these old, expensive objects which collectors of high art highly prize. Due to President Jacobi's decision to ban the Artifact trade in Liberty, the LSF wants to capture an artifact smuggler to gain more insight into their organization and better prevent their activities. Sean Ashcroft is an artifact smuggler who has been under investigation for a while, and when the LSF gets actionable intelligence that he is moving artifacts into New York through the Colorado Gate, she hires Trent and teams him up with King to capture Ashcroft. Ambush at Pueblo Station The original plan was for LSF forces to set up a trap for Sean Ashcroft at Pueblo Station to capture him en route to the Colorado-New York Jump Gate. Meanwhile, Trent and King would serve as the backstop scanning all vessels approaching the Jump Gate (a somewhat redundant task, since the battleship LNS Unity was on the New York side of the gate scanning all traffic entering and leaving the system). Intelligence confirmed that he was moving from the Kepler system and headed towards them, but instead of traveling down the trade lane from the battleship Rio Grande to Pueblo Station, Ashcroft and his Liberty Rogue escorts came out of the Copperton Field, taking the LSF fighters by surprise and inflicting heavy damage on Pueblo Station. Meanwhile, in a case of mistaken identity, Trent and King identified a Liberty Patriot light fighter smuggling artifacts approaching the jump gate. Believing they had found Ashcroft, they ordered the ship to cut his engines and prepare to be arrested. He makes a run for it, and in the ensuing fight Trent and King disable his engines. However, they discover that the man they were attacking was not Sean Ashcroft, but instead was a man named Cosmo Van Nostrom. Cosmo was needless to say rather upset at being attacked, and started complaining that he was going to get a lawyer for wrongful arrest, harassment, and wrongful destruction of his property. Trent and King have bigger fish to fry and ignore him, proceeding to Pueblo Station after being alerted to the failed ambush by Juni. Upon arriving at Pueblo Station, they encounter six Liberty Rogue Bloodhound light fighters attacking the station virtually unopposed. The station itself is on fire with life support failing, though with some skillful piloting, Trent and King are able to destroy the attackers. Thankfully, Pueblo Station was able to tag one of the transports with a tracking device, allowing King and Trent to pursue Ashcroft into the Silverton Field. Capture of Sean Ashcroft Trent and King follow the transports and encounter four Liberty Rogue Bloodhounds guarding the transports. Ashcroft's men were caught by surprise, as the transports were in the process of transferring their cargo when King and Trent arrive. Juni, upon hearing of the situation, radios the Battleship Rio Grande to send additional fighters (four Patriot light fighters arrive - Zeta wing). They focus on destroying the fighters, though Ashcroft manages to flee and engage his cruise engines. King attempts to fire a cruise disruptor but it misses, so Trent and King pursue Ashcroft deeper into the Silverton Field. Ashcroft stops near the Colorado-New York Jump Hole, but stands and fights with the assistance of four additional Bloodhound fighters. He is eventually captured and his escorts destroyed. The Liberty Rogues make one more attempt to save Ashcroft by attacking Trent and King with four Bloodhound fighters as they are passing Ft. Bush. Ft. Bush launches two Patriot light fighters to assist, and this rescue attempt fails with Ft. Bush only suffering minor damage. Ashcroft is delivered to the Battleship Missouri, where he is taken away for interrogation. Aftermath Trent has access to all of Liberty now, and Ashcroft is being questioned. Category:History